Robyn Lawley's setback on eradicating the term "plus-size" in modelling

She has been campaigning for years to eradicate the term "plus-size" in the modelling world, and just when Australian model Robyn Lawley felt like she was making waves thanks to the likes of her Vogue Italia cover and both Sports Illustrated spreads, she has suffered somewhat of a setback with the introduction of new labels.

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Robyn Lawley's hair tips

Model Robyn Lawley hair goes through the works so often, she is surprised it doesn't all fall out.

"You have to have in brackets when you are a plus-size model "visibly plus-size model" or "not visibly plus-size model". This is the new, latest thing. It's complicated, it's putting a label on label, so that's why I think we should do away with labels," the size 14 Pantene ambassador told Fairfax Media on her recent visit to Sydney.

The Sydney-born covergirl, 26, does not look "visibly plus-size", so that puts her in a different category to other well-known, plus-size stars like Tess Holliday, for example.

Robyn Lawley suffers setback as she tries to eradicate the term "plus-size" in modelling. Photo: Pantene 3 Minute Miracle

Lawley wants to entirely do away with the title "plus-size" and has asked people to "just say model", which will help stop the segregation.

"When a client wants to book a model, they should call up and say what size they want, there is no need for all of the labels."

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We might only be in mid-March, but Lawley has already had a busy 2016 since the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition was released in February – a publication in which she stars for the second time. Last year, she became the first ever larger-than-average model to appear on their pages and it's something that she is immensely proud of.

She believes SI has gone a long way to help her fight the cause for the acceptance of all shapes and sizes in modelling because they are paving the way for others.

"I often used to look at Sports Illustrated and think, 'I could never look like that', so when they wanted to include me, I was like, 'what?'

"I think regular girls could think that they could also be a Sports Illustrated model now, which is really cool."

She said it helped to have Ashley Graham, who is the first size 16 model to grace the cover, by her side at the parties (which they were many) as some of the others are so "tiny".

"A lot of those girls are naturally skinny, they are just tiny little women, so it's definitely nice to have Ashley with me as well so I don't look like the sore one sticking out on the tour," Lawley laughed.

"I think I'm normal until she and I go to model parties and then I'm like: 'I'm not'. Gigi Hadid is so perfection, even her makeup, I'm just like she is so gorgeous, but is so tiny. Kendall Jenner [not a SI model], I remember shaking her hand and it was so little, everything was so skinny."

Despite the setback with the "visibly plus-size model" or "not visibly plus-size model" terms, she said she can see the change happening from within the industry but high fashion is still the "hardest to crack".

Surprisingly, the easy-going brunette doesn't get tired of being asked about the weight debate as she says it's her job. "I need to help explain to people, and when I help explain it to them and they understand it, it's great to see them getting angry about it and wanting to be part of the change."

Be like Gisele

Since 2014, Lawley has been working as Pantene ambassador and just last week helped the brand uncover their new range of conditioners 3 Minute Miracle that they claim can "erase the damage of 1000 brush strokes and 100 blow dries in just one wash" – they sure are fighting words, but Lawley swears by it.

"I have been using Pantene since I was 17 because that's what Gisele Bundchen was using. Anything Gisele would use, I would use," she laughed. "It really works for me, especially because my job can be really extreme on my hair."

She explained on one shoot alone they could re-curl, mousse, hairspray her hair up to five times to ensure it looks picture perfect, but it sometimes leaves her worrying if her hair "will all fall out".

Unlike other models who wear wigs and extensions, Lawley said her hair is "all real".

"That's a real problem with me and my job, people burn my hair all of the time. I get my head burned, it sounds like I've got a war job, your hair gets it all and the same with your body with makeup and stuff, so you need to take care of it when you are not working and give it a break. When I am not working I don't even dry it, I just condition it."

Meanwhile, Lawley's two other babies are her one-year-old daughter Ripley with partner Everest Schmidt and her swimwear line.